Diving and Snorkeling the Barrier Reefs of Roatan

By TAPINTO TRAVELS MONDE STAFF

April 11, 2017 at 4:42 PM

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School is in session. Fish school that is.School is in session. Fish school that is.

If scuba or snorkeling is not your thing, try this awesome glass bottomed boat. Actually, it is more like a semi-summersible, than a boat. Ask for Captain Hessen.If scuba or snorkeling is not your thing, try this awesome glass bottomed boat. Actually, it is ...

Be examined by the local marine life. They are curious!Be examined by the local marine life. They are curious!

Some are just commuting though.Some are just commuting though.

Be wise to people or fish following you. Seriously, fish like to steal things that shine...like keys or coins.Be wise to people or fish following you. Seriously, fish like to steal things that shine...like ...Credits: Courtesy of the Roatan Marine Water Park

That is 300 to 500 year old coral growing like a tree.That is 300 to 500 year old coral growing like a tree.

By TAPINTO TRAVELS MONDE STAFF

April 11, 2017 at 4:42 PM

What soccer is to Europe and baseball is to the U.S., scuba diving is to Roatan.

Professional dive shops are as abundant as Starbucks in New York. Virtually every conversation circles back to that day's visibility or curious sightings.

Located along the world's second-largest barrier reef, it boasts more than 150 established dive sites, from the shelf only 100 yards off the shore of West Bay Beach to the scuttled wreck of the 230-foot El Aguila. The surrounding water boasts year-round warmth and indescribable colour and clarity. Dazzling coral formations provide an ecosystem for nearly two-thirds of the world's marine species and a rugged moonscape for underwater explorers.

It is to here boatloads of divers head out every morning or evening -- in many cases picked right up on the beach -- after paying just $40 for a trip that includes tank, weights and knowledgeable guide.

And owing to the shallow reefs and comforting placidity, snorkeling can be just as much fun:

On one recent foray in the protected marine park of West Bay, I spotted two eagle rays flapping majestically by. A lime-green moray eel slithered between crevices while a hawksbill turtle plunged into the abyss.

At night, you'll see more lobster than you can count while the more adventurous will go on the popular shark dive, joining six-foot reef sharks some 75 feet below the surface.

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